MO--Megachurch pastor & Cards chaplain is ousted
For immediate release: Thursday, April 14, 2016
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003 cell, [email protected])
The pastor of a St. Louis mega-church with six locations has been removed amid controversy. Among the allegations against him are “inappropriate relationships” with two women, that church officials claim “were not adultery.”
He’s also reportedly a chaplain to the St. Louis Cardinals. He is Rev. Darrin Patrick of The Journey.
Thirty three church elders signed a letter to congregants explaining their removal of Patrick.
It’s crucial that people understand it’s never healthy or appropriate for any clergyperson to have any kind of sexual contact with any congregant. The power differential is too great, just like it is between therapists and clients and between doctors and patients. In fact, in a dozen or more states, this kind of sexual contact is illegal.
We don’t know the details of Patrick’s misdeeds. But if, in fact, he abused his power and manipulated women in his church, he should never be allowed to minister again.
We urge Journey elders to report knowledge of or suspicions about misconduct to police. Church officials are not trained to recognize what constitutes criminal conduct or how to investigate it.
No matter what church officials do or don’t do, we urge every single person who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes and cover ups in churches – especially those where ministers are given exalted status – to protect kids by calling police, get help by calling therapists, expose wrongdoers by calling law enforcement, get justice by calling attorneys, and be comforted by calling support groups like ours. This is how kids will be safer, adults will recover, criminals will be prosecuted, cover ups will be deterred and the truth will surface.
http://www.snapnetwork.org/resources_for_adults
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747,[email protected])
Darrin Patrick Removed from Acts 29 Megachurch for ‘Historical Pattern of Sin’
Investigation by The Journey found ‘pastoral misconduct’ in several areas of his life.
Kate Shellnutt [ POSTED 4/13/2016 10:24AM ]
Darrin Patrick Removed from Acts 29 Megachurch for ‘Historical Pattern of Sin’Southeastern Seminary / Flickr
Darrin Patrick, vice president of the Acts 29 church planting network and founding pastor of The Journey megachurch in St. Louis, has been fired for . . .
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
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